CATvertising with a Cause

Despite working in advertising, I’ve only written about commercials twice in my 2+ years of blogging. Once, about my obsession crush on the actor who played the Russian Oligarch in the DIRECTV spot I worked on, and another about a risqué feminine hygiene campaign featuring a pussy cat puppet.

It’s time for a third post, and this time it’s for a good cause. The Shelter Pet Project and Pets Add Life (The American Pet Products Association’s 501c) recently launched campaigns encouraging people to add a pet to their household.

While each campaign has a distinct objective, both leverage humor and the animal perspective to communicate their message. A welcome change from the tear-jerking-channel-changing-save-the-children tone of Sarah McLachlan’s campaign for the ASPCA.*

And, I’m happy to report both campaigns gave equal representation to the feline contingent (The PAL campaign went so far as to be reptile inclusive!). But no campaign launch is complete without a scandal right?

Image from PAL TV Spot “Cat Banter”

One of these campaigns has caused some controversy in the blog-o-sphere, can you guess which one and why!

The Shelter Pet Project was born of a collaboration between The Humane Society, Maddie’s Fund and the Ad Council and focuses on adoption of shelter/rescue animals.  You can view one of the cat-focused spots “Sand Box” below or by clicking here.

The campaign from Pets Add Life is dedicated to conveying benefits of a multiple-pet household for your pet. Watch their cat-focused spot “Cat Banter” below or by clicking here.

Have you guessed which one caused a row and why?

Are there other campaigns you’ve noticed recently or in the past that promote life with pets?  Share them with us and tell us why you think they did either a great or terrible job of getting their intended message across.

* A cat-loving friend of mine recently admitted she’d heard the music for the Sarah McLachlan commercial on her TV but hadn’t gotten to the remote quickly enough. She now has her wages garnished each month by the ASPCA.

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Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by the Pets Add Life campaign and the American Pet Products Association. While I am being compensated a nominal fee for helping spread the word about the benefits and joys of pet ownership I would never write about something unless I believed in it wholeheartedly.